New tech for spectators awaits at Straits

Spectators at Whistling Straits will have new options for following the PGA Championship from the course, including a phone app that will show where specific golfers are on the course.(Photo11: File/AP)

SHEBOYGAN – Ticketholders heading to Whistling Straits for the PGA Championship next week should remember to bring their smartphones — and not for making calls.

An official app and a mobile website are being developed to offer new digital tools to enhance the experience for fans on the course.

The PGA has tried for years to determine how to use technology to enhance the spectator experience on the course, Gary Treater, manager of PGA.com, said. For the major tournament next week, an expansive Wi-Fi footprint at Whistling Straits “unlocked a lot of possibilities for us to create features within a mobile device,” he said.

An all-new feature, called “Binoculars,” will utilize Bluetooth beacon technology to make it easier for fans to find and identify golfers from a distance on the course.

Bluetooth beacons installed on each of the standard bearer poles for each group of golfers will allow fans with the PGA Championship smartphone app to easily find and identify their favorite players.

“We’re building a feature into the app that will communicate with those beacons, so if I’m a fan walking around, it will get a ping on my app alerting me to the groups in my area,” Treater said.

The new “Binoculars” feature on the official PGA Championship smartphone app uses Bluetooth beacon technology to assist fans in identifying players on the course from a distance.(Photo11: Photo courtesy Turner Sports)

The app and mobile website also will feature a player locator to help fans find their favorite golfer anywhere on the course.

“Let’s say I want to watch Jordan Spieth and I don’t know where he’s at. I can punch his name in and it will tell me (where he is),” Treater said.

The player locator feature will be complemented by interactive digital maps, which will help spectators navigate the course.

The PGA Championship apps and PGA.com mobile website also will offer video, live scoring, news, photos and a new feature called “Minute-By-Minute,” which will have live updates throughout the event.

“Whistling Straits is a long golf course. It’s a golf course that’s laid out without a lot of parallel holes, so if you’re going to see the whole golf course, you’re going to do a lot of walking,” Treater said. “Should you choose to, after awhile, not walk for a while and sit in the stands or sit in the hospitality area, we’re going to provide a real-time, what we call ‘Minute by Minute,’ live update stream.”

Similar to a Twitter feed, Minute-By-Minute will have a live feed of videos, pictures, tweets, and other content curated by PGA digital producers for the fan who wants to sit for a while, but not be out of touch with what’s happening elsewhere on the course.

“If I’m a fan sitting on Hole 18 watching all the groups come through, and I hear a big roar on Hole 15, I want to know what’s going on,” Treater said. “We’ll have someone out there and it will be put into this Minute-By-Minute feed. You’ll be able to actually see it and experience it rather than wonder what’s going on.”

The feature also will be available on the PGA.com website to allow people watching the tournament at home to follow the feed.

Silence is golden

The smartphone app also will direct visitors to the cellphone policy of the PGA, which asks visitors to silence their phones. While use of social media and the PGA mobile app are encouraged, taking photos and videos during the championship is prohibited.

“The PGA obviously is very mindful of the players. There is a mobile policy. (Spectators) are allowed to take photos, whether it be a camera or a cellphone, on practice days. Once the event starts Thursday through Sunday, there is no photos,” Treater said.

Videos in the Minute-By-Minute feature will contain minimal sound to avoid disrupting other spectators, Treater said. It is recommended that spectators bring ear bud headphones if they wish to watch full video on their smartphones while at the tournament.

The PGA Championship app is available on iOS and Android. Cellphone charging stations will be available at the event in the fan experience area near the golf shop and in some sponsor areas of the course.

PGA Championship attendees utilizing social media are invited use the hashtags #ThisIsMajor and #PGAChamp to participate in the social conversation surrounding the event. PGA.com is managed by Turner Sports.